Good day, Heroes!
Today is the dawn of a new era in Bit Heroes. Today, we launch the new Democratic Player Council program!
Please read below for additional details about the program and the roll-out process we have planned (or scroll to the bottom for TL;DR).
What is the Democratic Player Council?
The Democratic Player Council (DPC) is a new initiative aimed at improving Bit Heroes development and strengthening the player community! It will consist of 20 player members democratically elected by eligible voting players.
Our intention is for the player council to act as a bridge between the dev team and the players, giving players influence over the future of the Bit world and ensuring that we are developing a game you want to play.
What are the requirements and expectations of a council member?
First and foremost, DPC members should be passionate about Bit Heroes! We also have a few requirements and expectations that will ensure the community is represented by experienced players with strong communication skills.
Any interested player must meet the following requirements:
- A minimum of 3 months experience playing Bit Heroes
- Ability to read and write English at an intermediate level or better
- Age 18+
ALL elected council members will be expected to:
- Sign and abide by a Non-Disclosure Agreement
- Participate regularly in council discussions on Discord
- Attend meetings roughly once every 1 to 2 months on Discord
- Participate in beta testing, when applicable
- Discuss and provide feedback on unreleased content and/or upcoming features
- Listen to, communicate with, and be a voice for your fellow players
- Be respectful in the community and follow conduct guidelines. (Even critical feedback and disagreements should be shared respectfully).
There are currently twenty (20) total seats consisting of three (3) available positions.
- Beta Tester - Ten (10) players will be elected
- Meta Specialist - Four (4) players will be elected: Tanking, DPS, Healing, Other
- Community Advocate - Six (6) players will be elected
Each role will have access to council Discord chats, beta tests, and content/feature previews; but the roles will vary slightly from one to the other. For example, a player elected as the Tanking Meta Specialist will be expected to know the ins and outs of tanking, while a Beta Tester would have some experience in bug reporting or, at the least, a willingness to learn. Community Advocates should be players interested in contributing more generally and broadly, such as a player who has always been F2P and wants to be a representative voice for fellow F2P players or a player who loves theorycrafting and wants to discuss balance.
Additionally, the Democratic Player Council will campaign and vote among themselves to fill 3 positions: Council President, Vice President, and Council Secretary. Players in these roles cannot be from the same guild. Lastly, an ideal DPC member will be able to stay in their elected position for 1 year.
How do I apply to run for a council position?
We are accepting submissions for a DPC role now through August 30, 2019.
Click here to submit your information.
After the submission period ends, the development team will be vetting candidates (see below) who will then run for election, starting September 27, 2019 and ending October 4, 2019.
How will candidates be vetted?
Our vetting process will include:
- A review of bans, mutes, and/or silences issued to your Kongregate.com and Bit Heroes accounts. Your history should be free of any week-long bans or major offenses.
- A review of previous interactions with staff and the player community. Your interactions with devs, the support team, and game chats should be free of offensive, harassing, and excessively toxic behaviors or language.
- Confirmation of account age. Your account must be active and at least 3 months old.
As a player, what can I expect from the DPC and its members?
Our goal is for the Democratic Player Council to be a positive force in Bit Heroes, helping bridge communications between the dev team and our awesome community. As a player, you can expect the members to have a pulse on what’s happening in the game, an ear to the community’s chatter, and to be a champion for you when it comes to sharing feedback on unreleased content.
Prior to and during the election process, vetted candidates will be campaigning for your vote! More information on that is coming soon.
Additionally, all players are welcome to join the Official Bit Heroes Discord Server and discuss the election or voting processes. After the elections, there will be rooms to chat with the elected DPC members.
When will elections be held and how do I vote?
From September 27 through October 4th, players will be able to vote in the elections!
As we get closer to the elections and have vetted the candidates, we will announce additional details and instructions. The only requirements to vote are to have a level 50+ account in Bit Heroes and to have your Kongregate.com account linked to your Bit Heroes account (click here for instructions)
Get reminders on this topic by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Discord or stay up-to-date by checking back here on the forums later!
How long does an elected council member ‘serve’ and how often will elections be held?
Elections will happen every year on or around the last week of September. During the elections, existing DPC members can choose to campaign again if they wish! There is no cap to the number of ‘terms’ a DPC member can ‘serve.’
Ideally, a DPC member will hold their position for 1 year, but we understand that sometimes life throws out some bad RNG. If needed, a DPC member can voluntarily step-down at any time, at which point their position may or may not be back-filled.DPC members may also be removed from their position if they violate Democratic Player Council Policy.
Too long, Didn’t Read.
It’s cool, we get it. :) Here’s a recap:
- Bit Heroes will soon have a council of 20 players that will be expected to play in beta tests, review unreleased content, and help voice/share community feedback.
- Fill out this form if you want to run for a position on the council.
- Submissions are open until August 30 and will be vetted by the dev team before moving into the election process.
- Voting will take place September 27 - October 4. Additional details TBA.
We hope you are all as excited about the Democratic Player Council as we are! If you have any questions or feedback to share, please let us know on the official forums.